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Monday, May 7, 2012

Nationally syndicated movie critic Ignaity Vishnevetsky live in Akron

Reporting by Charles Cassady, Jr.

If someone booked me to lecture about
the future of movies, I’d probably just shout, “Sequels and comic
books!” then scram from the auditorium with my stipend clutched
murderously in my hand, scattering the throngs before me with curses
and violent swingings of my wolf-headed walking-stick. And if I was
feeling especially sorry for myself, as I do these days, and want to
be paid twice as much per word, I’d probably just cut it down to
“comic books!” ‘Nuff said.

But presumably Ignaity Vishnevetsky has
more to divulge than that when he appears at the Akron Public
Library’s main branch on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a free program
entitled "A Short History Of The Future Of Movies," a
multimedia lecture abetted generously by clips that gives the POV
(evidently less cynical than mine) of the current and forthcoming
state of cinema. Like, will the next Dukes of Hazzard
feature go direct to DVD or back into theaters with Real3D, and will
Jessica Simpson encore her triumph as Daisy?

I’m not giving poor Mr. Vishnevetsky
any benefit of the doubt am I? Even though the Russian-born,
Chicago-based essayist has written with much perception and acclaim
on the motion-picture scene, and he succeeded Elvis Mitchell in
co-hosting TV’s “Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies.” Me, I
just met Ebert in person once, and he managed to politely tolerate me
for about five minutes. Vishnevetsky will be taking questions from
the audience in the two-hour program, which is free and open to the
public.

The Akron Public Library is located at
60 S. High Street in Akron. For more information go online to
akronlibrary.org or phone 330-643-9000